Happy Birthday, Han!
by I love dance
Summary: It's Han Solo's birthday, and Leia and Luke are up to no good. Oneshot, humor, friendship.


**Title:** Happy Birthday, Han!  
**Characters:** Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie  
**Timeframe: **10 years ABY  
**Genre:** humor, fun-ness  
**Summary:** It's Han's 40th birthday, and Leia, Luke, and Chewie are up to no good.  
**Disclaimer:** Just stopping by for a visit to a galaxy far, far, away and borrowing some of George Lucas's characters.

* * *

It was hard to believe it had been about ten years since that fateful day. The day smuggler, princess, and tow-headed farmboy had been thrown together only to form a bond as close as family.

But to Leia Organa, the thing that was even more incredible than fate was the very fact that her scruffy-looking, nerf-herding, scoundrel was turning forty! To someone who was ten years his junior, Han was "old" and Leia wouldn't miss the chance for a billion credits to remind him…

* * *

"I don't know about this."

Luke Skywalker stood, staring at the familiar Corellian freighter in front of him.

"Oh, c'mon, Luke." Leia teased lightly. Her little brother-always the angel. He needed to have some fun. "He's only going to be forty once. And Chewie's helping too."

At Leia's clandestine request, the Wookiee had dragged Solo away for a day on a Rebel ship, pretending to be on an Alliance "mission." Now Leia was trying to enlist her ever-so-reluctant little brother into the ploy. That was usually how it worked. She would drag Luke into some devious but harmless plan, and he would eventually agree, helping her to come up with ideas, and share a laugh, but more importantly- part of the blame.

"Yeah, but he doesn't _want_ to be reminded. Besides… I think this is taking it a little too far."

The princess chuckled, obviously not sharing the same feelings of uneasiness. "It'll be fun-for us and _him_. We'll make him a cake, give him lots of ice cream and shower him in presents. But I'm not missing out on the opportunity to rub this in his face."

Leia had a mischievous glint in her eyes. Luke tried to hide a smile. His sister had a sadistic streak and impish side that liked to show every once and a while. He worried if this was Han's fortieth birthday, what would she try to pull for his fiftieth? And what would he do for _hers_?

"Well… Okay. But I've got a bad-"

He was interrupted as Leia promptly laid a hand over his mouth. "Don't even say it." Then she lowered her hand, grinning, and Luke's lips tugged upwards slightly.

"I'll go get the spray paint."

"I'll help you with the rest," he said. "But I'm not any part of _this_."

* * *

Han Solo awoke groggily to the sound of an alarm. It took a few minutes to register what the insistent beeping was. After going through a whole string of Corellian curses, and flailing his arm out blindly beside him, Solo finally managed to hit the machine and shut it up for the moment.

"Leia, why'd you set that blasted thing?" he groaned, before he realized his wife wasn't beside him, or even in the room. Instead there was a note on the nightstand.

_Han,  
_  
_Went out to do some grocery shopping.  
_  
_Love, Leia  
_

"What a way to wake up on my birthday," he muttered. He'd almost forgotten until then. Forty. When did that happen? Maybe, hopefully, Leia had forgotten too.

* * *

Then again, maybe not.

"Objects in mirror are older than they appear." Solo read the label which had been affixed to the fresher mirror.

"Why that little-" He knew exactly who to blame for that. The Wookiee couldn't have put the label on because his fur would've stuck to the adhesive. And the kid wasn't that sneaky.

So much for hoping she'd forgotten. Still, if that was the only thing-

Absently, Han opened the cabinet door- only to start back in surprise; a large cut-out flimsy of the number 40 was dangling inside by a string. Annoyed for letting his guard down so soon, Solo jerked the piece of flimsy from where it was taped. On the back it read "Hah Hah. That's how old YOU are!"

The Corellian rolled his eyes. That was Leia's writing in disguise. What other surprises did he have in store for him? Not about to actually be surprised by them, Han shut the cabinet and went to go investigate the rest of his ship.

It turned out that the Princess had had more than a little help. She never could've wreaked all the havoc on her own. There was a label just like the first on _every _mirror in the entire ship. The bathtub and shower were filled to overflowing with inflated, black balloons. The ship's computer console screen said the next course was set for "Bantha Meadow Retirement Facility". There were numerous cut-outs of the number "40" and flimsies with "old" jokes written on them. Colored streamers, black balloons, and confetti were strewn everywhere in the cockpit like a party had already taken place. And that wasn't the half of it.

Even the _Falcon_'s kitchen had been ransacked. All the food Solo usually ate was gone. The cabinets were empty, save for some strange type of bran cereal he'd never even heard of. And his large supply of alcoholic beverages had been replaced with a container of prune juice. _Stars, I'm not that old! _

Great. Just great. Who was responsible for _this_ one, Han wondered but he didn't have to wonder very long. On the counter, obviously forgotten, was a half-drunken glass of blue milk- that revolting stuff that only Luke liked, force knows why. _So_, he grinned, _the kid was in on it too!_ This was what he got for leaving his ship unattended.

Han didn't hear the stifled giggles coming from Luke and Leia, who were in the hidden deck compartments- At least not at first. The twins' faces were red with suppressed laughter as they tried to guess by the Corellian's footfalls and reactions which surprise he was encountering. But then Solo heard a sneeze- quiet, but without a doubt belonging to a certain young Jedi; then he knew the offenders were right under his feet.

He knelt down about to pop open the compartment, only to hear a whispered argument taking place.

"Way to go, Luke."

"It's not my fault! You're wearing too much perfume or something."

"Shhh!"

"Why? He's already heard us."

An exasperated sigh. "You spoil everything."

"You make me spoil everything."

They kept right on as an amused Solo lifted the deck plate. Part of him wanted to pull a trick on _them_, but he couldn't think of anything at the time. He'd get them back later. Now he had to stop a fight.

"Children, children," he began, and Luke looked up at him sheepishly, almost gratefully. Leia, however, continued to fume.

"Care to tell me what all this secretiveness and destruction of private property is about?" He reached down to help Luke, who wanted out of there fast.

"Uh, Happy Birthday?" the young Jedi tried. "We were going to try and surprise you."

"You surprised me all right." It took a great effort to keep a straight face. Han wanted to burst out laughing at the silliness of it all- but let him scare them a while longer.

"Uh huh." Luke muttered awkwardly.

"You coming Princess? You're in trouble too, you know." Han offered a hand down to help, but Leia pulled herself up, putting on her regal appearance as well as her "I-can-do-it-myself" attitude. She wasn't really mad at Luke or Han. But let them think she was. _After all that work!_

"I guess you saw the outside of the ship too." Luke looked up at his friend, sounding almost apologetic.

"No, why?"

"Nevermind," the kid said, all too quickly.

It took a few seconds for a look of pure horror to flash across Solo's face. Then he took off sprinting for the ramp, Luke and Leia on his heels.

* * *

"_What…_ have you _done_?"

The _Falcon_ was in a worse state than Han had ever seen it. Huge neon pink, purple, blue, and yellow forties were spray-painted all over his ship, along with the words, "Happy Birthday Han!" and "Makes .5 past the speed of a space slug!" Confetti and sprayed-on streamers took up the empty spaces. This was the first time today Solo had actually been angry. Appalled, he turned to face the two.

Luke pointed to Leia. "It was all her. I didn't do anything."

Leia looked at him and smiled sweetly. "Thanks, little brother."

"No problem."

"Uh huh," was all Han could say. Chewie moved to stand behind the twins.

"Don't worry Han. It's washable paint." Luke tried to assure him. "Isn't it, Leia?"

"Yes. It'll come right off."

Han's anger was beginning to fade as he realized the atrocious paint job wasn't permanent. Still, it was embarrassing. Those decorations were coming off. Soon. And then suddenly he realized why there was an "emergency mission" for the Alliance yesterday. That was also why the hangar was pitch-black dark when they arrived in the middle of the night. He'd just stumbled into bed without noticing anything. The Corellian broke into a grin and started laughing- quite hysterically for that matter. Luke and Leia joined in, more out of relief than anything, and Chewie whuffled in amusement.

"So, you were in on this too, Furball." Han said, once the hysterics had died down. "I should've known. We wasted all that time yesterday so these two could sabotage my ship?"

"Acutally, Han, those surveillance cameras needed placed; just not as quickly as we led you to believe." Leia informed him. "And I wouldn't call it '_sabotage'_."

"No?"

"It was more like… 'embellish'." Luke said, and flashed one of his ever-sunny farmboy smiles. Everyone had to laugh again.

"Well if that's your idea of interior decorating, kid, I seriously doubt it's your thing."

"Darn," Luke played along. "I was planning on pursuing a career in it."

Han grinned and slung one arm around him, the other around Leia, giving them each a one-armed hug.

"Thank you, three. …I think."

"Happy Birthday," the twins said. "Old man," Leia added. Han rolled his eyes and kissed her, then ruffled Luke's hair.

"Thanks. I've just got one more thing to say to you. I'll be right back." And with that the Corellian started up the _Falcon_'s ramp. Brother and sister exchanged curious glances.

Solo returned a moment later with three buckets and rags. He handed one to each of them, mock-seriously, and watched their faces fall.

"Start scrubbing."

"Han," Leia protested. "Can't the ship wait? We have a cake for you."

"No, it can't w- Cake?" This belatedly caught Han's attention.

"Yeah." Luke smiled, suddenly as eager and excited as if it were _his_ birthday. "Triple layer. And ice cream and presents…"

"Presents?"

"Lot's of them." Luke continued.

Han looked as if he were reconsidering, then took back the buckets and rags from them.

"The ship can wait." He set them down. Then he added, "I think I'm beginning to like this birthday business better than I thought."

Luke and Leia grinned.

"And we're taking you out to dinner."

"Wherever you like," the kid added

"Wow. The day keeps getting better."

"And," Luke continued. "_No_ Threepio."

The Corellian was grinning from ear to ear now. "It can't get any better than that." Then he glanced mischievously at Leia as they all started up the ramp.

"You're next."

"What?" Leia was truly puzzled.

"To turn forty."

"Who says I'm older?!"

"Aw, c'mon, Sweetheart." Solo chuckled. "You're always referring to Luke as if he's younger. We both know he's the baby."

"Hey!"

Han grinned, but otherwise ignored the kid's protest. "You're just in denial." He informed his wife. "And this was your idea. Just you wait."

"It's ten more years!"

"All the longer I have to plan it." The Corellian was already scheming. "Just you wait."

Luke Skywalker rolled his eyes. _Please. Just one birthday at a time._

* * *

-End

Thanks for reading! (hugs!) I hope you were able to get some enjoyment out of this. Comments are welcome and very much appreciated!! :)


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